Fans are now halfway through the festival and still ready to rock. Even after the huge news of Mumford and Sons canceling due to a medical emergency, Bonnaroo goers were extremely excited to adventure into day three.

First on the list was Matt and Kim. I have never seen anyone pound on the drums and keyboard like these two. The entire crowd turned into a dance party. Their poppy dance songs captivated the crowd minutes into the set. The duo flawlessly added samples of popular songs in-between their own to keep the crowd busy the entire time. The set ended with Kim shaking it up in the pit with the help of a few fans who held her above the audience.

Matt and Kim crowd

Later in the evening was the highly anticipated band, The Lumineers. The Which stage, for the indie folk rockers, turned into an old hall, with chandeliers hanging above the artist’s head. Frontman and lead singer, Wesley Schultz, had some of the best live vocals the Bonnaroo crowd had seen thus far. Five songs into the set the band broke into their hit, “Hey Ho”. At this point, the voices of the fans overpowered Schultz. The stage presence of these five, including the odd marching in place by Schultz, was great considering most of their songs are mellow. If you were not into these guys and gal before their performance, you left one.

Headliner of the night was folk rocker, Jack Johnson. Johnson had the near impossible task of filling in for Mumford and Sons whose bassist, Ted Dwane, was recovering from a blood clot in his brain. Johnson was already in town as he was appearing as a special guest in ALO’s set. The rocker rose to the occasion and even joked about the amount of pressure he felt. During his set, which he dedicated to Dwane, he held a sing-along with the crowd to Mumford and Sons hit, “The Cave.” Johnson also played his own hits including “Brushfire Fairytales.” For such last minute notice, Johnson and his band seemed top notch and fans that may have been disappointed before, left satisfied with the replacement.

The festival will conclude tomorrow with performances by Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers and Macklemore and Ryan Lewis.

FIVE: Passion Pit. The instrumentals for this pop band were everything and more. The Massachusetts natives blew the main stage tent away when the band preformed their hit song, “Talk a Walk.” The crowd was backed up all the way to the fences; people sitting, standing and dancing were all tuned into this dance set.

FOUR: The teriyaki chicken noodles. Some may say that camp or even festival is all right at its best, but this food was delicious. The staff was over friendly considering they were cooking in the 90 degree weather and the price was reasonable. If noodles are not your thing, Bonnaroo is also known for its truck oasis. The truck oasis is a huge section where food trucks of all kinds park and serve everything from tacos to Chinese.

THREE: Planet Roo. This is a semi new invention to the festival. This section of centerroo offers a different experience to the festival fans. At Planet Roo fans can relax at yoga or meditation and even catch some music in a smaller setting. This is also the place fans can bring old cell phones to recycle and sign up to volunteer.

TWO: The best bearded band in the land, ZZ Top. The Texas rockers busted out classic tunes like “Sharp Dressed Man” and “La Grange.” My personal favorite was the synchronized dance moves. Who says sixty-year-olds cannot dance?

ONE: Sir Paul McCartney. Bonnaroo is famous for its friendly fans, but during the former Beatles set the crowd banded together to sing classics such as “Eleanor Rigby,” “Let it Be” and “Helter Skelter.” The England rocker lit up the stage near the conclusion of his set, literally, during “Live and Let Die.” The most unforgettable moment of the day was when McCartney handed over the microphone to the crowd to sing the famous chant at the end of “Hey Jude.” Never before have I seen thousands of people from around the world singing one song in perfect unison with a musician such as McCartney.

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BONNAROO BREAKING NEWS: Headliners, MUMFORD AND SONS have dropped off the festival due to a medical emergency. They have been replaced by Jack Johnson. Johnson will perform during Mumford and Sons scheduled time.

The First day of the Bonnaroo Music and Arts Festival is underway and nothing is stopping eager fans from catching all their favorite bands and artists, not even the heat.

Bonnarooians arrived early to catch the best camping spot, the festival camping grounds, otherwise known as tent city, opened late Wednesday night.

The festival is known for its worldwide headliners and smaller, up and coming acts. This years main attractions are Mumford and Sons and the one and only, Paul McCartney. Other acts include Twenty One Pilots, Passion Pit, Of Monsters and Men and hundreds more.

The music is something very familiar to fans as many arrive hours early to get as close to the stage as possible. But, there is new and unfamiliar festival territory this year. If you are up for a battle with the scorching Tennessee heat then check out the new Bonnaroo 5K. The 5K will be held Saturday morning at 9am and takes fans throughout the site for a special tour. Keeping up with the fitness fanatics, Bonnaroo has expanded their successful Yogaroo. Yoga classes will be offered all weekend to those interested in keeping active during their stay.

Thursday night was the first full day of music. One of the first bands to take the stage was, The Stepkids. The rock and roll soul band played in front of a sea of kids who were waiting for Twenty One Pilots. Taking advantage of their opportunity, The Stepkids put their heart, soul and Tennessee sweat into the hour-long set. The band played both old and new songs, even featuring a brand new song, “ The Lottery” of their forthcoming album, Troubadour. The band does a tremendous job mixing soul with jazz and rock and roll. The crowd was pleased with the performance as well. The Stepkids will also play a more intimate set tomorrow at 12:30 on the Solar Stage.

Next on schedule was the highly anticipated duo, Twenty One Pilots. The Ohio duet had more energy well, than, an energizer bunny. Frontman, Tyler Joseph climbs just about anything he can, as high as he can. Most of the songs played came off the bands most recent album, Vessel and included favorites such as “Car Radio”, “Guns For Hands” and their recent claim to fame, “Holding onto You.” The fans were jumping non-stop throughout the hour-long set, even more when the two took off their ski masking revealing their actual faces. These two are in for a long and screaming girl filled career.

The day concluded with Japandroids, Maps & Atlases and Capital Cities. There was no main headliner for the night. So far Bonnaroo has been impressive as I have no complaints (except the moment where the 100 degree heat tried to fight me, I lost) on any bands that I have seen. Day one was a success.

6/13/13

Bonnaroo 2013 has officially begun. The Edge Show’s, Josh and Ashley are in attendance and ready to bring all the action to you. Stay tuned into wxou.org for all the updates regarding one of the biggest music festivals in the county!